Conventionally, for example, there has been a contact mechanism that is used in “a power conversion apparatus including an inverter circuit that converts an output of a DC power supply to AC and supplies the converted AC to a load and a DC disconnector that includes contacts inserted in an electric circuit between the DC power supply and the inverter circuit and blocks power supply to the inverter circuit” (refer to Patent Document 1). In the power conversion apparatus, the DC disconnector includes a switch that brings the contacts into contact with each other or separates the contacts from each other according to an operation of an operation unit and permanent magnets that are disposed at both sides of the contacts outside a switch body so as to form a magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the contact and separation between the contacts.
In the contact mechanism, as illustrated in FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1, a movable contact 17 which is disposed on a movable contactor 18 is brought into contact with or separated from a fixed contact 16 by operating a reversing handle 14. Further, in the contact mechanism, permanent magnets 12 are disposed so as to extend an arc that occurs when the movable contact 17 is separated from the fixed contact in a desired direction to eliminate the arc.